I have purchased three pairs of used speakers used over the last 7 years. All are in mint condition. The first was a pair of Kef Reference 205's in perfect shape and perfect cherry finish. I paid $2800. They were a 'hold me over' speaker as I relocated, and I paired them with an Emotive amp and preamp.
When I got more settled, I found a perfect pair of B&W Nautilus 802's for $4100. I think this was a great deal, and I upgraded (got my old) Classe pre amp and bought a used Classe CA 5300 stereo amp for $4800. Since then, I have moved the B&W's downstairs and found a pair of perfect Revel Studio 2's for $7200. This is just under half of their $16,000 new retail, but this is a current speaker and that is the best I could find. I also now have BHK pre amp and BHK 250 amp, along with the Direct Stream DAC. Wow. For subs I bought new, but found a good deal on a pair of REL Carbon Limited. I listened to several new speakers before buying the used Revel's; Kef Reference 3's, Proac K-36 and D48, B&W 802's, Paradigm and Vandersteen Quatros. I did like the Proacs the best, but the K36's were over 20K. I feel I got good value and great speakers for the money, and think used speakers are 'less scary' to buy used. First, you can look at their condition and tell if they were well cared for. Second, you can listen to them.
When I got more settled, I found a perfect pair of B&W Nautilus 802's for $4100. I think this was a great deal, and I upgraded (got my old) Classe pre amp and bought a used Classe CA 5300 stereo amp for $4800. Since then, I have moved the B&W's downstairs and found a pair of perfect Revel Studio 2's for $7200. This is just under half of their $16,000 new retail, but this is a current speaker and that is the best I could find. I also now have BHK pre amp and BHK 250 amp, along with the Direct Stream DAC. Wow. For subs I bought new, but found a good deal on a pair of REL Carbon Limited. I listened to several new speakers before buying the used Revel's; Kef Reference 3's, Proac K-36 and D48, B&W 802's, Paradigm and Vandersteen Quatros. I did like the Proacs the best, but the K36's were over 20K. I feel I got good value and great speakers for the money, and think used speakers are 'less scary' to buy used. First, you can look at their condition and tell if they were well cared for. Second, you can listen to them.